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Lifetime prevalence of and factors associated with non-traumatic musculoskeletal pains amongst surgeons and patients

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Abstract

Purpose

There is evidence that surgeons make different recommendations for people seeking their care than they make for themselves. There may also be differences in pain episodes and management strategies between surgeons and people seeking care, knowledge of which might improve care. We aimed to assess whether the prevalence of non-traumatic pains, treatments and other factors differed between patients and surgeons.

Materials and methods

Two-hundred and twenty surgeons, members of the Science of Variation Group (SOVG), and 248 patients seeking care at the Hand Service at a large academic hospital completed a survey regarding the lifetime incidence of non-traumatic pains lasting > one month using short versions of the Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS-4); Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2); and Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI-5).

Results

Surgeons had a higher prevalence of at least one non-traumatic pain than patients and were more likely to report pain at more than one anatomical site. Patients were more likely to receive any treatment: surgery; injection; non-opioid medication; opioid medication; physical or occupational therapy. Patients missed work more often than surgeons. Age was the only factor independently associated with patient pain. Practicing in the United States was the only factor independently associated with surgeon pain.

Conclusions

Non-traumatic pains are extremely common. Surgeons have particularly effective coping strategies, allowing them to maintain their life roles with limited medical care when in pain. Increasing the appeal and availability of methods for optimising coping strategies might help to narrow the gap between surgeon and patient health.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, 601 Elmwood Ave, Box 54, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA

    David N. Bernstein

  2. Hand and Upper Extremity Service, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Yawkey Center, Suite 2100, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Ankit Sood

  3. Department of Surgery, Rode Kruis Ziekenhuis, Vondellaan 13, 1942 LE, Beverwijk, The Netherlands

    Jos J. Mellema

  4. Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Health Policy and Outcomes Research, University of Rochester Medical Center, Box CU 420644, 265 Crittenden Blvd., Rochester, NY, 14642, USA

    Yue Li

  5. Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, 1400 Barbara Jordan Blvd. Suite 2.834; MC: R1800, Austin, TX, 78723, USA

    David Ring

Authors
  1. David N. Bernstein
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  2. Ankit Sood
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  3. Jos J. Mellema
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  4. Yue Li
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  5. David Ring
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Ring.

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Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Ethical review committee

The Institutional Review Board of our institution approved this study under protocol #2009P001019/MGH.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Cite this article

Bernstein, D.N., Sood, A., Mellema, J.J. et al. Lifetime prevalence of and factors associated with non-traumatic musculoskeletal pains amongst surgeons and patients. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 41, 31–38 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-016-3338-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-016-3338-5

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